The True Self
by Wolfe Rein
Summary: There was the World. There was the endless fog that engulfed all. There were the Shadows that stalked every corner. Then, there was him.


**Hey dudes and dudettes! Hope you enjoy the story. There will be a few time skips in this chapter, just to set things up. Anyways, leave a review if you would. It would sure help out! **

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For as long as he could remember, _this_ was all there was. A world of inverted colors and endless fog. Of never changing, ever expanding realms. Tall buildings made of iron and steel. Empty and lifeless. Seemingly just existing. The endless fog was everywhere. Not even the sky was visible.

He had once tried to explore the World. The farthest he could go was the ocean. The waters were a crimson red, and one could barely peek past the shore before their vision was obscured by the fog. It was a cold, desolate, empty world. However, it was _his_ world. His home.

'_Home._'

The word seemed to pull at him. The few things he could remember – he could count on a single hand. His own name, Naruto. The name of his guardian, Kurama.

Other than that everything else was just instinct. Moving. Fighting. It was all there. How? He didn't know. All he had – _all he knew_ – was himself and Kurama.

Of course, there was _them_. The creatures. The **Shadows**. They were drawn to him, constantly chasing and searching. No matter where he went, where he traveled, they would be there. Waiting for him. The weaker ones quickly learned to leave him be after he first discovered Kurama, the stronger **Shadows** never left their realm.

How long would he be cursed to wander these lands, fighting these strange creatures? It gave him pause. Sometimes he wondered what would happen if he just gave up, and let the **Shadows **consume him. Would he become a shadow himself? If so. Then what was he now?

These questions and many more would float in his head endlessly. With no answers, and seemingly no hope of ever escaping. The only choice he ever had was to wander aimlessly. The only things on his person being a pair of black worn pants and a strangely patterned tattered cloak. The red clouds printed on the cloak gave him a strange sense of comfort yet riddled him with a distinct feeling he could never place. He was…cautious of the clouds.

Sometimes if he was lucky. He would close his eyes and sleep. For how long he did not know. The Shadows never bothered him then. They could not hurt him if he tried, for his ever vigilant guardian would appear and swiftly deal with the strange looking creatures.

'_Kurama_.'

In a flash of light it was before him. Small tendrils of red flame licking the outline of its massive body. Kurama was easily twice the size of himself, with a pair of sinister yellow eyes reflecting his own.

Whenever he needed to reach a farther point in the World he would always call Kurama. Then he'd hop onto its back and ride away.

His guardian. His _friend_ was impressive, however, the most alluring quality of the massive phantom like beast were the nine long slender tails flowing gracefully behind it. It didn't speak, but somehow they were able to communicate. He could understand Kurama, and Kurama could understand him.

In fact. He never really spoke at all. In the World, there was no need for speech. His only requirement was to simply be.

What an existence.

* * *

"Oh no no no! Kuma!"

It whispered to itself, fidgeting and twitching about as its eyes darted all around. It looked scared, and confused. How did _it_ get here?

Naruto observed it from the shadows – the strange creature. It looked almost cartoonish with its bright colors and high pitched voice.

'_Not a fighter. Not a shadow._' He whispered into his conscience. The creature continued to fidget, completely unaware of where it was. Or even who it was. Suddenly, it seemed to freeze. Its massive cartoonish eyes widening while its small nose twitched.

"W-Whose t-there? K-Kuma!" it screeched. Beads of sweat falling over its...fur?

The creatures appearance did not matter much, however, the fact that it could sense him did.

"I-I can smell you! S-So come out now…or…or else!" he screamed the last part, shaking a…paw? Hand? Whatever it was, the creature was shaking it about in an almost comical way. As if that would actually threaten him.

'_Still. This thing…it can speak. What's more I can understand it._'

He could sense no actual threat. And if things went south, he and Kurama could make a quick escape. So with that, Naruto stepped out of the shadows and into the deserted streets. A mere few steps away from the peculiar being.

"Ahh!" it hollered, almost jumping as a shiver ran up its spine.

It seemed that it wasn't as aware as he first thought.

What to do now? Here he was. Making contact with another sentient being for the first time since…well, for the first time ever. Naruto continued to observe the frozen furry creature before him. His almost golden eyes bore into it. Seemingly searching for something.

"Ah…Kuma? Are you j-just going t-to stare?"

He was caught off guard by the question. Was he just going to stare? _'I should say something_.'

Opening his mouth to speak, Naruto suddenly found it very difficult. He had not spoken in a long time. The only moment he could vaguely remember speaking aloud was when he first woke up in the World. After that…he just did not.

"N-Naruto." It almost hurt hearing how hoarse his voice was.

"Oh! Ohhh! You can talk too! Kuma!" It seemed relieved. The two continued to stare at each other, one seemed to stare into the others very soul while the other could barely sustain eye contact. The creature – Kuma – broke the silence first.

"D-Do you remember how you got here?" Kuma asked. All of a sudden it seemed sadder, unsure. Frail even.

"No." he responded evenly, resisting the urge to flinch again at the sound of his voice.

Kuma seemed to slump, and looked even more down cast than before. It struck a chord within him. Bringing up uncomfortable sensations. It happened every now and then, he'd think or see something and all of a sudden his chest would feel tight. He did not like it.

"A name…" he began "Do you have one?" A simple question. He couldn't just continue calling it _it_. He had a name. Kurama did. Even the **Shadows**.

Kuma blinked, picking himself up out of his depressed state quite quickly. Only to actually drop to the ground and begin to roll nonchalantly all the while humming a small tune. The fact that it was actually giving it thought was strange indeed. Did he not remember his name? Why was it that he remembered his, but Kuma did not?

"Not really. No." His demeanor changed so suddenly after that.

"Then…I'll give you one. Kuma." He had already been referring to him as such, so why not make it official. After all, Kuma's little verbal tick was all he had to go on.

"Hmmm. I like it! Kuma!" it suddenly stated, grinning brightly as it threw the other resident of the World a thumbs up. "Thanks! I thought you were kind of creepy, but it turns out you're alright Mr. Naruto!"

He resisted the urge to sweat drop. "Just Naruto is fine."

"You don't talk much do you?"

"No one to talk to." From within, he could feel Kuramas ire. As if his guardian was telling him that he could always talk to him. It filled Naruto with a sort of warmth.

Kumas awe however brought him from his musings. The new resident was now very close to his person, although the short creature only reached his naval.

"Whaaaaat? How long have you been here!? Does that mean you were alone? Do you know where this is? Are we the only things here?" Question after question was being shot his way. Naruto did not care for that however, right now, being as close as they were he realized something.

"Our eyes are different." He stated calmly.

"Kuma?"

* * *

Meeting Kuma was strange. The shorter creature stuck to his side like glue after that moment. Naruto really didn't care either way. In fact, it was almost nice. He enjoyed talking with Kuma. After that there were no more visitors. Only them, and the endless **Shadows**. The first time his companion had encountered the mindless creatures and first witnessed Kurama was a moment he would never forget. It was also the first time he had laughed aloud.

With Kuma however, came a new wave of questions. His companion had a different set of instincts and ideas. He, like Naruto, could not remember a single thing. However, his mannerisms and actions spoke volumes of the difference between them. Kuma had once stated out of the blue that even _he_ was more human than Naruto.

When he asked what a human was, Kuma could not come up with a clear answer.

"_I…just said it. I don't know where it came from, Kuma!_"

Meanwhile, the World was expanding. Slowly but surely. More and more **Shadows** continued to appear. They were getting stronger.

When Kuma decided to explore the World himself, Naruto was wary. Unlike him, Kuma did not have a guardian like Kurama or an effective way to battle the Shadows. But the small creature assured him he would be fine. He had his nose.

Naruto let him go. It was a mistake on his part.

He could no longer find his way back to Kuma as the the World continued to grow even larger with new realms taking the place of older ones. Once again, Kurama and he were left to wander aimlessly.

What an existence.

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**Hope you liked it. I've set this up as best as I can. The next chapters will be longer, as this was simply a prologue of sorts. Till next time guys! **


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